Kansas dominates Baylor in another blowout win: Instant reaction & takeaways
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas dominated Baylor 80-62, reversing doubts and extending momentum.
- Freshman Darryn Peterson scored 26, controlled pick-and-rolls and showed NBA readiness.
- Flory Bidunga posted 23 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, asserting inside dominance.
It’s funny how a week can change the perception of a team.
Roughly seven days ago, the general view of the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team was low. KU had lost to an OK-at-best West Virginia squad and there were whispers that this year’s Jayhawks could be hard-pressed to so much as qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Kansas responded with a dominant win over No. 2-ranked Iowa State on Tuesday, then followed up Friday with another Big 12 beatdown, an 80-62 drubbing of Baylor.
From the opening tip, KU never let up on the Bears. In fact, Baylor had the lead for just 1 minute, 24 seconds of game time at a boisterous Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks (13-5, 3-2 Big 12) broke a two-game losing streak against the Bears. Freshman guard Darryn Peterson led the Jayhawks with 26 points and three assists and forward Flory Bidunga had a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds, plus five blocks.
“We know what each other can do and how good we are, so we just need to play to our abilities, basically,” Bidunga said.
Peterson, who’s continuing to manage his cramping issues, played 23 minutes, including seven in the second half. He checked out of the game with 7:51 left and the Jayhawks leading by 17 points.
The Jayhawks started the game red-hot, racing out to a 19-4 lead. Baylor roared back and even took the lead at one point, but KU went into halftime leading 43-37. The second half was all Jayhawks, with KU outscoring Baylor 37-25 after the intermission.
Up next for KU: The Jayhawks hit the road to face Colorado on Tuesday.
Until then, here are three takeaways from Friday’s game:
Darryn Peterson does Peterson things
Like clockwork, one of the takeaways is always about KU star freshman Peterson.
Perhaps it’s a sign of how special he is and how lucky Kansas fans are to witness his lone collegiate season up-close.
Make no mistake: Peterson is ready for the NBA. That was on full display against Baylor. The freshman was in complete control against the Bears no matter what Baylor tried to do on defense.
At one point, Peterson commanded both defenders in the pick-and-roll. That left KU big man Bidunga wide-open for an alley-oop dunk. That’s just the gravity Peterson brings whenever he’s on the floor.
He ended the first half with 20 points on a blistering 8-for-10 clip from the floor.
Peterson played just seven minutes in the second half yet still added six points.
As for his mindset heading into the game, Peterson said just one word: “Dominate.”
Bidunga steps up
The Star asked KU coach Bill Self how he felt about Bidunga’s play against Big 12 competition on Thursday.
Self noted that he wasn’t displeased with his big man’s performance, but he wanted to see Bidunga play with more aggression offensively. Self added that his teammates have to do a better job of feeding him in the post.
Well, both things happened Friday.
Bidunga was aggressive and looked for his shot. His teammates did a good job of feeding him in the post.
The result was his best game in Big 12 play. Bidunga feasted on the Baylor bigs inside while racking up blocks on the other end. He shot 11-for-14 overall.
It was the best Bidunga has looked in a long time.
KU’s defense shows out ... again
After KU’s defense went back to looking great against Iowa State, the Jayhawks kept it going against a Baylor lineup of shot-makers.
KU’s defense wasn’t bad in the first half, but the Bears held their own with a number of tough shots over Jayhawk defenders.
The Bears managed to shoot just 41.9% from the field in the first half. And things would only get harder for Baylor as KU turned it up to another level defensively in the second half.
This is a big reason why the Jayhawks were able to create separation. Baylor shot 30% in the second half, including 33.3% on 3-pointers.
The Bears finished the night shooting 36.1% overall and KU turned their 11 turnovers into 13 points.
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 9:21 PM.
